A father-of-two has been suffering from hiccups for the last 14 months.

Daniel Clavin, 37, woke up with a hangover and hiccups in July last year – and he is still hiccupping.

He hiccups every seven seconds meaning that he has hiccupped an estimated 5.25 million times.

Daniel Clavin (pictured with his wife, Susan, and his children, Harry and Megan) has been hiccuping every seven seconds for the last 14 months. He has undergone numerous tests but none have offered a solution

The problem is so bad, that they sometimes cause him to pass out and keep him awake for hours at night.

He also spends many nights in the spare room so his long-suffering wife, Susan, can get some sleep.

Mr Clavin has seen a number of experts, had two endoscopies, a CT scan, changed his diet, taken tranquilisers and consulted a chiropractor - all in vain.

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The software worker with British Telecom is now waiting for an MRI scan fearing that the hiccups may be an indication of a serious medical problem.

He said: ‘They’ve taken over my life. I woke up with them one morning after a stag do and I’ve had them ever since.

‘I’ve no idea why they started - I’d had more to drink than I had for some time but it was nothing out of the ordinary, just the usual mix of beer and spirits.

Mr Clavins (pictured with his wife, Susan) has hiccupped an estimated 5.25 million times since the problem began in July last year. He has to sleep in the spare room so he doesn't disturb his wife

‘Some days are worse than others and on odd days they’ll stop, but they can get so bad I pass out or throw up my food.

‘There are times when I can’t breathe for 30 seconds because they lock up my diaphragm.

‘Nights are bad and sometimes I wake up and the whole bed is shaking because they are so violent and I’ll go to sleep in a different room so Susan can get some rest.

‘I’ve learned to control them to some extent and disguise them and hiccup quietly but when I stop thinking about them they start sounding again.

‘People find it quite funny when they first meet me but then it becomes quite annoying for someone to have to listen to.’

Mr Clavins says he has tried all the tricks he has come across to stop his hiccups - including eating sugar and vinegar (pictured). He says a chiropractor gave him some relief but that the hiccups soon returned

Mr Clavin, father to Harry, three, and 10 month-old Megan, says he has been able to continue working as he is deskbound and has little contact with people outside his office.

He said: ‘I’ve tried all the old wives’ tales like eating sugar and vinegar and all manner of supposed cures, but nothing’s worked.

‘Last month I had some relief after seeing a chiropractor who manipulated the phrenic nerve in my neck which is connected to the diaphragm.

Mr Clavins said: 'I've to try to keep cheerful but I'm at the stage now where I'm scraping the barrel for ideas and looking for people to help me.' He is pictured trying to stop the hiccups by breathing into a paper bag

‘They stopped for ten days and I thought I’d finally got rid of them - but then they started again and are as bad as ever.

‘I’ve to try to keep cheerful but I’m at the stage now where I’m scraping the barrel for ideas and looking for people to help me.

‘The medical community doesn’t seem to know what to do, but it is quite rare.

‘I’m told there’s only a handful of people in the world at this moment who will have hiccups as bad.’

Mr Clavin decided to have an MRI scan after reading of Chris Sands, 29, from Lincolnshire, who had hiccups for nearly three years before a scan in 2008 detected a brain tumour.

Mr Clavin, from County Roscommon, Ireland, said: ‘Obviously that’s a worst-case scenario but I need to have one done at least to eliminate it.’

Mrs Clavin, 38, said: ‘He’s in a bad way and they are getting him down.

‘He’s constantly losing his breath and it’s difficult for anyone to concentrate on anything else when he’s around.

‘They can wake me up in the night and I then lie there waiting for the next one and I have to send him out of the room.’

She added: ‘He’s had blood tests and tried different diets, thinking they might be related to gluten but nothing’s worked.

‘We seem to have exhausted the stomach route and are now looking at nerves as being a possible cause.

‘He’s seen a chiropractor who thought it could be related to his posture and he had 12 days’ relief but they came back again really bad out of the blue.

‘We are just desperate to find someone who can help him because the hiccups are ruining our lives.’

WHAT IS A HICCUP AND WHAT CAUSES IT?

Hiccups occur when the diaphragm - a thin membrane of muscles separating the chest from the abdomen - suddenly and involuntarily contracts.

As the diaphragm contracts, it causes a person to breathe in air very quickly.

This air is stopped when the vocal cords close suddenly - this produces the characteristic sound of a hiccup.

They are very common and are usually short-lived.

Short-term hiccups can be caused by consuming alcohol, excessive smoking, a bloated stomach, a sudden change in temperature, shock and excitement.

Occasionally, and usually in men, hiccups can be longer-lived.

These hiccups can be caused by gastrointestinal conditions, respiratory conditions, problems of the central nervous system or psychological conditions.

They can also be caused by a reaction to medications including anaesthetics, sedatives and anti-seizure medication.